Sacchital, a converting company with a long-standing reputation for excellence in paper-based packaging and rotogravure printing, is expanding its production capacity with the opening of a new 2,200 sqm flexographic printing department in Pregnana, Italy.

The facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art BOBST VISION CI press. Developed by Sacchital’s management team with the support of Emilio Alliegro, Sales Manager, Flexible Packaging at Bobst Italia, the new plant marks a major milestone in the company’s strategic growth plan.

“This new site is designed to accommodate four flexo machines and related technologies and is at the center of Sacchital’s growth plans,” explains Alberto Palaveri, Executive Member of the Sacchital Group Board. “It represents an ambitious flexo enhancement program aimed at serving an increasingly differentiated and fragmented market more effectively and at a lower cost.”

Sacchital prides itself in investing in a variety of technologies to guarantee its customer what they want, with quality maintained at the highest levels across rotogravure, flexographic and digital printing.  

Keeping pace with a fast-moving market

One of the biggest challenges facing converters today is the pace of the modern packaging industry.

“Everything is moving fast: processes, innovation, people, communication,” says Sara Alexander, Marketing & Communication Manager Flexible Packaging at BOBST. “People no longer have time, and customers want quick answers in every sector.”

The demand is not only for speed but also for versatility. Packaging must meet requirements across diverse substrates, ink systems, finishing solutions, sealing technologies and color management platforms – all while ensuring maximum sustainability. The BOBST VISION CI directly addresses these needs. Designed for efficiency across all run lengths and substrate types, it offers rapid setup and changeover, advanced automation, and consistent repeatability with minimal waste. For Sacchital, it is the ideal solution to broaden its offering even further.

“We are consolidating our core sectors, such as bakery and related products, while aiming to expand in the pharmaceutical, household and personal care markets,” adds Palaveri. “We are also supporting brand owners in transitioning from plastic to paper-based packaging.”

A proud and productive partnership

Sacchital and BOBST share a long-standing partnership built on collaboration, material testing and technical development.

“Working with Sacchital is a source of pride because it is a technologically advanced company with a bold, forward-looking vision that demands the best on every front,” says Alliegro. “We are pleased to support its growth through the performance and reliability of our machines and the expertise of our Competence Centers, including the one in San Giorgio Monferrato.”

The new VISION CI is not only a technological leap forward, it also enhances overall workflow, boosting productivity and efficiency throughout the plant. A key factor in Sacchital’s decision was the VISION CI’s lightning-fast setup, enabled by BOBST’s proprietary smartGPS (Graphic Positioning System), which drastically reduces time, material waste, and ink consumption during changeovers.

Water-based printing and ECG: future-ready capabilities

Sacchital also values the machine’s flexibility to run both solvent and water-based inks via separate washing circuits.

“When market and legislative conditions allow, we will be ready to print all substrates with water-based inks, making a real contribution to more sustainable packaging - one of our core values,” says Palaveri.

The VISION CI is viewed as a long-term investment with enduring technological value. Working closely with BOBST experts, Sacchital plans to further optimize workflow elements, including the use of seven-color Extended Color Gamut (ECG) inks. Once fully implemented, ECG could deliver significant gains in productivity, cost efficiency, color quality and sustainability, as well as enhance finishing, varnishing, heat sealing and more.

“The goal is always the same: to be able to create products with the characteristics we want, without having to settle for less,” says Palaveri. “Providing customers with print proofs where they cannot perceive the difference between the technologies used, so that we can then discuss the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the product and how to make it.”

“There is great harmony between our two companies,” adds Sara Alexander. “At BOBST, we know that changing approaches and tools requires time, commitment, research, and testing. It is a collaborative effort, in which we involve customers and technology partners. That’s why anyone who buys a BOBST machine, whatever the technology and for whatever application, knows that they are buying an open system, capable of doing what is required today and ready for what will come tomorrow.”